Life or Something like it
by mayakasti
Summary: AU - Temperance is writer and Booth has just moved with his family to the house across the street from her. story hold no resemblance to the movie with the same name. Give it a shot.
1. Chapter 1

She has never experienced writer's block before like the past month, her publisher was not helping with his constant nagging and the annoying ring of her cell and home phone were not bringing any good ideas to her stale imagination. Her fourth and last book in the series of disease fighting doctors was just not coming to an end. As she sat by the widow in her home, she seriously thought about getting her lead characters to attract a disease and die, since they were the only ones smart enough to diagnose any disease and finding a cure for it. However, she thought it won't be fair to her publisher, her readers or even herself. Her books were a great success, but she was tired of the characters after the third book, and how many plausible diseases can one create and research and make it believable to the audience anyway? Her publisher was mortified when Temperance told him she would end the series after the fourth book. She was officially stuck now, on the last chapter of the book nonetheless.

As she looked at the rain falling outside her window, she could not help but watch the scene unfolding in front of her. The house across from her front lawn was finally being occupied by a couple almost her age. She has met the lady last week when the movers made a mistake and delivered some furniture to her house. The lady called Camille she remembered, is an olive skinned beauty with an obvious strong personality was ordering people around without being too bossy, was running the move like a pro. They had had a short conversation when she explained that they will be moving next week. And now finally the day has come and a man was struggling with carrying a cardboard box, and an umbrella trying to shield a baby from the pouring rain. The man looked like he was about to drop the box in attempt to keep his baby safe and sure he did. When the box hit the floor it opened so he simply kicked it towards his lawn and moved to open the front door.

She was never good with people, in fact she avoided them at all cost but somehow she felt bad for the man and she could not help herself. She jumped off the couch, got her rain coat and went after him to help with the discarded box in front of the door. After all she had met the guy's wife and although she was intimidating in her own way, she was pleasantly polite.

As soon as temperance reached the front door she bent down to pull the box in her arms she came face to face with a human crotch attached to exceedingly long legs. She cursed under her breath for her attention to detail, and shook her head trying to shake the images from her head, however she did not count that she was too close to the man that she accidently grind her head straight into his crotch.

"Umm! What the hell are you doing?" asked the man

"Uh, I guess not what it looks like, sorry, I saw you struggling with carrying your girl there so I thought I would help with the …" she trailed off while standing and looking awkwardly at him

"my boy" he explained

"what?" she was mortified now, did he say boys, was this a sexual innuendo?

"you said my girl, he is a boy, Parker my son" he offered as an explanation

"Oh! sorry yes, umm I guess you don't need my help anymore, I will just leave" she waved and walked away trying to save some of her dignity. Scolding herself inwardly, _(you are not good with people Temperance, why would you even think of trying to help and talk to anyone, stick to your books)._

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The rain did not stop for three days, and the man and his son stayed put inside the house, and Temperance wished the rain away every day. She blamed the weather for not getting inspired, for three days she drank her coffee, had her lunch and dinner by the window watching the trees outside getting soaked, and lawn getting taller. Her attention to detail was impeccable after all. What was tiring her now though, was not her lack of interest in her book, but the family that moved across from her home. How can they not leave the house for three days? It is not customary, at least not to normal people. They have just moved in, so definitely they could not have their home stoked with everything so soon. However everything was calm and dark in the house across from her, to the extent that she started feeling anxious. Were they alright? Has something happened to them? Their mail was not piling up outside in the mail box, so maybe they have not re-routed their mail yet. All these thoughts were crossing and driving her mind crazy. Why is she bothered, she could not pin point a reason for her behavior. She was always nonchalant towards people around her. She lived in her house for the last five years since she graduated from college and never known who lived next door.

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It was a soft knock on her door that startled her and snatched her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, Angela !" said Brennan , not being able to hide her disappointment

"Glad you are happy to see me sweetie, what's up with all the excitement?" asked Angela sarcastically

"I am not excited" Brennan reverted, and walked back leaving her friend to lock the door behind her

"I was being sarcastic, never mind Bren, I am here to show you the art work for your new book" Angela explained

"yeah ok, you can put it on the table, I will look at it later, plus I don't think we need it since I am not able to finish this book anyway" Brennan said with frustration.

"Sweetie, you always say that, let me see, what you have written since last time I was here" Angela said while bending down on the table to scroll through her best friend's latest chapter.

_**Katie was pushed out of the way and landed on top of Andy, not having enough time to break her fall her hands held Andy's crotch ….**_

"Sweetie, who the hell is Andy?, and who is Katie ?, you know you cannot introduce new characters in your last chapter ?"

"huh ! yeah.. Angela!, this is not my book, please don't read that, it is just something I am trying out" Brennan rushed to the laptop and close the screen.

"Do you want something to drink Bren?" asked Angela, knowing that her friend won't budge and let her read until the material is at least edited 100 times.

"I believe it is customary for the guest to be asked" Bren raised an eyebrow in question

"Well, I would freeze to death and die of thirst if I have to wait for you to offer, anyways, why haven't you returned any of my calls? Huh, tell me, what is keeping you busier than usual, since I have noticed that you are not even nearly finished with your book?"

Brennan knew that she had to tell her friend, after all Angela was a very persistent person, not only she would not leave until she told her, she would camp in her house until she spilled the last metaphorical bean of her heart. And anyway Temperance needed her friend to understand why the sudden curiosity she was feeling towards her neighbors. So they sat down by the window each holding a steaming mug of hot cocoa which Angela made and added marshmallow surprise to them and Brennan explained the last ten days, from meeting Camille, to the encounter with the husband.

_**This is the first chapter everyone, it is just something that is keeping me awake at night and I thought I will share with you, let me know if you like me to continue with this story line. **_

_**Thanks everyone.** _


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2._

_Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays_ Angela from the swift completion of anything she set her mind to. After all Angela was all about painting beautiful art and never left a project unfinished. Having said that, she ensured to call, visit or send a smoke signal everyday at five in the evening to Brennan for the next month asking her about any developments with her neighbors.

"This is getting ridiculous Angela" Brennan stated with a huff.

"Yet you are the one who is obsessed and sitting at your window around the clock" Angela smirked.

"Well I am not obsessed, I am just worried about the baby, and it cannot be conducive to his development to be trapped within the four walls of the house the whole day, every day for a month" Brennan defended.

"I am sure it is sweetie, but maybe he is not. Have you thought maybe they are not even home, and you just missed seeing him while going out?"

"No Angela, I checked the tape logs….umm I mean No" Brennan trailed

"Logs, what logs? Oh No! Brennan! What have you done? You pointed your security camera at their door didn't you? Sweetie, that is just wrong, are you stalking them now?" Angela was shaking her head in disappointment.

"Absolutely not Angela, I am not, besides how can you stalk someone when you don't even see them. It is like he went into his house a month ago and never came out. Maybe he is sick, or worse dead and the kid is all alone for a month in there, he must be dead too"

"WOOH HOO HOO Brennan stop right there, he is not one of your stories' characters. Nobody just contracts a deadly disease in their own home and drop dead in real life"

"Yes they do. My stories are inspired by real life events. You have to go and check Angela" Brennan pointed to the door while moving towards her door guiding Angela outside.

After little reluctance from Angela, Brennan was able to convince her that it is best if she knocked on the door saying that she is a struggling artist trying to get people to come and watch her opening gallery next week. Which was true about the gallery, but far from Angela being a struggling Artist, she was well known and doing quite well for her young age.

Angela walked on the wet lawn across from Brennan's house formulating a plan. She would knock and wait, and if nobody answers, she would just go back and let Brennan call the police or something. She was neither ready nor willing to actually opening a door to a true decomposed body image Brennan had planted in her overactive imagination.

The first few seconds passed with no answer and no sound coming from the house. She knocked pressed the door bell again, but this time she followed it by three sharp knocks. She placed her ear to the door trying to decipher any minutia of sounds coming from inside, and finally she was rewarded with a loud yell telling her that the door is locked and to use the back entrance instead.

There on the back yard lawn, a little boy with blond curls was lying on top of his father's chest, placing his chubby fingers on his father's face and giggling while the adult was making childish funny faces.

Angela watched the scene in front of her for a moment reveling in the contradicting beauty that is man and son. She cleared her throat earning her two sets of eyes squinting in her direction. The sun being straight in the their eyes they were able to see only a silhouette of a beautiful young woman standing at the backyard gate with her hand trying to hold her skirt down a little from being blown by the occasional March cold breeze. The boy jumped from his dad and crawled towards her calling

"MOMMY"

The man was up on his feet in a second running and lifting the boy in his strong arms, yet very gently, he hugged him and placed his palm protectively on the back of the boy's head, whispering loudly enough for the boy and to Angela to hear.

"Hush Parker, let's find out who the lady is, but this is not mommy OK."

"Hi, Sorry to intrude on your time with your boy, but you asked me to use the back entrance"

"Well, we were kind of expecting someone, so who are you?" Booth said firmly.

"My name is Angela, Angela Montenegro I had invited everyone on the street couple of months ago to my art gallery opening next week, and I just thought since you just moved in here last month, I should extend the invitation to you as well".

"Do you live in this Area?" Booth asked.

Angela was surprised with the question, but answered in the negative anyway. However the next question he asked surprised her even more.

"How did you know then?"

"How did I know what?"

"You said you knew I moved here last month, but you also said you did not live in the area, so again I ask how did you know or better yet, why are you really here and who sent you?"

"Are you for real? Forget it ok. I withdraw my invitation; you are no longer welcome to the opening." And with that she walked away but turned on her heal and asked him one last question

"What are you an interrogator or something?"

"Negotiator, I was, umm not anymore" Booth replied feeling a bit guilty for his uncalled outburst.

"Well obviously not anymore, I assume you were lousy at it"

With that his anger was back and he retorted screaming to her to get the hell out of his house.

_**Why was Booth suspicious and angry, and why did he lock himself and the boy in the house for a month. What is his story? You will find out in the next chapter, when have a sneak peak at his history. **_

_**I am sorry I have not updated since the first chapter, but my husband and I have both lost our jobs due to restructuring in the institution we were working in and we were busy trying to avoid killing each other because of boredom. Anyway, we still haven't found any work yet, and I thought might as well go back to dream land and enjoy my time writing instead of sulking. **_


End file.
